Shuttle check-motion for looms.



No. 783,051. PATENTED FEB. 21, 1905.

G. P. LAFRANOE.

SHUTTLE CHECK MOTION FOR LOOMS. APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 23, 1904.

Patented February 21, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES F. LAFRANGE, OF TAUN-TON, MASSACHUSETTS.

SHUTTLE CHECK-MOTION FOR LOOMS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 783,051, dated February21, 1905.

Application filed March 23, 1904. Serial No. 199,516.

To all whom, it may concern.- Be it known that 1, CHARLES F. LAFRANCE, acitizen of the United States, residing at Taunton, in the county ofBristol and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Shuttle Check-Motions for Looms, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in shuttlecheck-motions for looms, and has in view the provision of a simple andpractical form of checking device which may be readily attached to thelay of I any'of the ordinary types of looms and presenting simpleand-effective means for checking the movement of a shuttle as it entersa shuttle-box and preventing rebound thereof, while at the same time notinterfering with the action of the picker in throwing the shuttle out ofthe box.

To this end the invention contemplates a checking-device attachment forthe shuttlebox 'end of looms operating in connection with the usualbinder and picker-stick and so arranged as to reduce to a minimum allwear on the picker-stick, while at the same time directly actuatedthereby when a shuttle moves into a box- A special object of theinvention is to so arrange the parts of the device in connection withthe binder and picker-stick as to exert a gradually-increasing bindingor checking pressure upon the shuttle after the same comes into contactwith the picker, thereby checking the motion of the shuttle in such amanner as to positively prevent rebound thereof, and also prevents thefilling from breaking. By reason of the checking motion provided forthrough the medium of the improved device the shuttle can be run veryloose in the box and requires less power to throw the same across thelay.

l/Vith these and many other objectsin view, which will readily appear tothose familiar with the art as the nature ofthe invention is betterunderstood, the same consists in the novel construction, combination,and arrangement of parts, which will be hereinafter more fullydescribed, illustrated, and claimed.

The essential feature of the invention, in-

volved in the structural features of the attachment per se, and therelation of its elements to the binder and the picker-stick aresusceptible to some change without departing from the scope of theinvention; but a preferred embodiment thereof is shown in theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a top plan view of one endof the lay of the loom, showing the improved checking-device attachmentassociated therewith. Fig. 2 is a side elevation from that side of thelay upon which the attachment is mounted. Fig. 3 isa detail bottom-planview illustrating the attachment of the centeringplate for thepicker-stick. Fig. 4L is a perspective view of the complete checkingdevice.

Like numerals designate corresponding parts in the several figures ofthe drawings.

In carrying out the present invention no change is required in theordinary parts of the loom, so for illustrative purposes there is shownin the drawings one end portion of the lay l of a loom, which lay isprovided with the usual longitudinal picker-stick slot 2, accommodatingthe upper active end portion of the swinging picker-stick 3. The slottedend of the lay also supports the parts of the shuttle-box, including thestationary shuttlebox wall 4 and the opposite movable binderplate 5,usually having a pivotal support, as at 6, and adapted to be moved withbinding pressure against the shuttle as it enters the box.

The checking device constituting the present invention is associateddirectly with the binder 5 and the picker-stick 3, said checking deviceincluding in its general organizationa short vertical rock-shaft 7,carrying at its upper end a horizontally-disposed presser-arm 8 and atits lower end a similarly-disposed impact-blade 9. The verticalrock-shaft 7 is journaled in the upper and lower spaced bearing-lugs l0and 11, formed integrally with and offset from an attaching-plate orbracket 12, which is fastened rigidly to one side of the lay 1 throughthe medium of screws or equivalent fasteners 13. Thehorizontally-disposed presser-arm is preferably formed integrally withthe upper end of the rock-shaft 7, though any rigid connection willsuffice, and at the end united with the shaft the said presser-arm oradjacent portion of the shaft is provided with a short ofl'standingstop-lug 14, adapted to move against an abutment-shoulder 15, providedat the upper end of the attachment-plate or bracket carrying the lugs 10and 11. This construction serves to limit the movement of the rock-shaftin the direction of returning the parts to their normal positions underthe influence of the retraeting-spring16. This retracting-spring 16 iscoiled upon the shaft 7 between the bearing-lugs l0 and 11 and issuitably engaged at one end with the presser-arm, as at 17, whereby thetension thereof may be exerted in a direction for holding theimpactblade 9 beneath the lay 1 and in the path of the picker-stick 3.

The presser-arm 8 is preferably provided at its swinging end with aflattened contactfoot 18, bearing against the outer side of the binder5, contiguous to one end thereof, and the said arm as well as theimpactblade 9 are preferably both disposed in horizontal planes andmaintain a substantial parallelism respectively to the upper and lowersides of the lay. The impact-blade 9 essentially consists of a flatplate presenting a widened and smooth contact-surface for thepicker-stick 3 to bear against, and in order to provide for properadjustments said blade preferably has an adjustable connection with thebracket-arm 19, offset from a supporting-collar 20, mounted on the lowerextrelnity of the rock-shaft 7 and held in the proper position thereonthrough the medium of a set-screw or equivalent fastening 21. To providefor the adjustable connection with the bracket-arm 19, the blade 9 islongitudinally slotted at oneend, as at 22, to receive the bolt 23,which passes through the arm 19. \Vith the parts in their normalpositions the impact-blade 9 lies obliquely beneath the lay in the pathof the picker-stick 3, so that immediately upon said picker-stick beingengaged by the shuttle entering the box the same moves against the blade9 and communicates an inward movement to the presser-arm 8, with theresult of pressing the binder against the shuttle. As the picker-stickmoves forward to throw the shuttle out of the boX the pressure thereonis relieved by the parts automatically resuming their normal positionsunder the influence of the retracting -spring 16. To provide for holdingthe picker-stick to acentered position within the lay-slot when theimpact-blade is bearing againstthe same, there is employed acentering-plate 24, arranged'at one side of the picker-slot and pendentfrom an adjustable base or base-plate 25, arranged beneath the lay andhaving a pivotal mounting at one end thereof, as at 26. At its oppositeend the base or base-plate 25 has a screw and slot mounting 27, wherebythe plate 24 may be adjusted laterally to provide for correctlycentering the picker-stick.

From the foregoing it is thought that the construction, action, and manyadvantages of the herein-described checking device will be readilyapparent without further description, and it will be seen that variouschanges in the form, proportion, and minor details of construction maybe resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention orsacrilicing any of the advantages thereof.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed, and desired to besecured by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a shuttle-check, the combination with the lay, the binder, and thepicker-stick, of a vertical rock-shaft journaled at one side of the lay,a horizontally-disposed presser-arm rigid with the upper end of therock-shaft and having a contact-foot at one end engaging with thebinder, an impact-blade having an adjustable connection with the lowerend of the rockshaft and normally arranged beneath the lay at an angleto the path of the picker-stick, and a spring coiled on the shaft andarranged to provide for normally turning the shaft in one direction.

2. In a shuttle-check, the combination with the lay, the binder, and thepicker-stick, of a bracket or plate fitted to one side of the lay andhaving offstanding bearings and an abutment-shoulder, a verticalrock-shaft journaled in said bearings and carrying a stop-lugcooperating with said shoulder, a horizontallydisposed presser-arm rigidwith the upper end of the rocleshaft and having a contact-foot at oneend engaging with the binder, a supporting-collar fitted to the lowerend of the rock-shaft, an impact-blade having an adjustable eonnectionat one end with said collar and normally arranged beneath the lay at anangle to the path of the picker-stick, and a spring coiled on the shaftand engaged with the part carried thereby to provide for normallyturning the shaft under pressure in one direction.

3. In a shuttle-check, the combination with the lay, the binder, and thepicker-stick, of a spring-returned rock-shaft journaled in an uprightposition at one end of the lay and carrying at its upper end apresser-arm engaged with the binder, and at its lower end animpact-blade extending beneath the lay across the path of thepicker-stick, and an adjustable centering-plate arranged upon the lay atone side of the picker-sticklfor centering the same, said plate having apivotal support at one end and a swinging adjustable mounting for itsopposite end.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES F. LAFRANCE.

Witnesses: I

ALFRED MEUNIER, ALPHONSE MEUNIER.

